‘Sage’ Advice That’s Nuttier Than Trump

Mike Morell was twice “acting” CIA director but never got the job outright, which may be a blessing now that this Hillary Clinton supporter is publicly urging acts of war against Russia and Iran, notes ex-CIA analyst Larry Johnson.

By Larry Johnson

There was a time that I believed that a U.S. president would only appoint knowledgeable, capable people to serve at the head of an important defense or a national intelligence organization, like the CIA. Mike Morell, the former Acting Director of the CIA, proves that belief naive and wrong.

Mike Morell’s performance as CIA Director and his subsequent efforts to portray himself as a sage voice in the foreign policy arena borders on criminal negligence and utter incompetence.

Former CIA deputy director Michael Morell.

An intelligence professional, regardless of his or her personal political views, has a responsibility to tell the truth and offer unvarnished, bias-free analysis. By this standard Morell is an utter disgrace. My wrath is not just inspired by his reckless and vapid recent comments on the Charlie Rose Show. Even before this latest debacle, Morell demonstrated in his actions to help Hillary Clinton lie about Benghazi that he would shade the truth and hide the facts in service of a politician whose ass he desperately wanted to kiss.

During a Tuesday night appearance on Charlie Rose, Morell said the following: “What they need is to have the Russians and Iranians pay a little price. … When we were in Iraq, the Iranians were giving weapons to the Shia militia, who were killing American soldiers, right? The Iranians were making us pay a price. We need to make the Iranians pay a price in Syria. We need to make the Russians pay a price . . . .[and] you make sure they know it in Moscow and Tehran.”

This paragraph elevated my blood pressure into stroke region. I have taken some deep breaths and will try to address this stupidity in a calm, logical fashion.

First, with respect to our time in Iraq. After we invaded Iraq, the United States provided safe haven and support to the Mujahedin El Khalq aka MEK, who in turn carried out terrorist attacks inside Iran and killed Iranians. So, we did not have clean hands.

Second, 90 percent of U.S. casualties came from SUNNI groups with ties Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led governments. Not, I REPEAT, not Iran. Iran did have an extensive intelligence network in place throughout Iraq but that existed to help the Iranian-backed leaders of Iraq (WHO WE INSTALLED, NOT IRAN) hang on to control. Iran was not trying to provoke a fight with us because we were doing their dirty work for them. Those who want to argue otherwise are either ignorant or intellectually dishonest.

Most of the Shia backed attacks against us came from groups loyal to Moqtada Al-Sadr and others like him. (I prefer to refer to him as MOOKIE.) Calling Mookie a stooge or puppet of Iran is akin to calling Donald Trump a stooge or puppet of the Republican National Committee. Anyone prepared to make that argument? Hell, no. Unlike Trump, however, Mookie had access to a militia and to weapons, some that he got from friends in Iran. But he was not easily controlled by Iran.

Syrian Intervention

With respect to Syria I will repeat a point I have made previously. Part of the blame for the bloody civil war there lies with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and has been made more deadly and bloody because Obama/Clinton helped provide weapons and training to radical Islamists. Come to think of it, Mike Morell was part of that process. Besides calling into question his judgment let me add to the bill of particulars that he also is a war criminal.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressing the AIPAC conference in Washington D.C. on March 21, 2016. (Photo credit: AIPAC)

What, under other circumstances would be funny incident, is listening to Mike Morell desperately try to smear Donald Trump as dangerous, ignorant and reckless while he, Morell, is calling for killing Russians in Syria who are there at the express and legal invitation of recognized state. That, boys and girls, is called an act of war.

It is the kind of provocation that would fully entitle Russia to retaliate militarily against the United States. So let me get this straight, Morell wants us to think he is the voice of reason and moderation, like Hillary Clinton, and he wants to start a fight with a nuclear power? Yeah, that’s brilliant judgment.

Morell was not finished with his display as the King of all Cretins. Morell also proposed that U.S. forces begin bombing Syrian government installations, including government offices, aircraft and presidential guard positions. The former acting CIA director said that he wanted to “scare Assad.”

Let’s review the reality in Syria. Russia has helped Syria obtain air superiority. Russia has installed an anti-aircraft defense system capable of shooting down U.S. aircraft. And Morell’s prescription? Launch airstrikes on a sovereign nation (again, an act of war on our part) but with only one objective – “scare Assad.”

Let’s ignore for a moment his wildly reckless proposal to risk a military confrontation with the Russians. Focus instead on what he sees as the ultimate goal for using military force and having your sons put their lives on the line – he wants to “scare Assad.” …

I suppose there is one bit of good news with respect to Morell – he resigned from CBS as a talking head and we won’t have to listen to his bullshit as much (I hope). Let’s put the former Director of the CIA up against Trump and what Trump is saying. Morell favors actions that could provoke a war with a nuclear-armed Russia and Trump wants to have a better relationship with Russia. So you tell me: Who is the real reckless, dangerous moron?

Larry Johnson is a former CIA analyst and counterterrorism official at the State Department. [This article originally appeared at Larry Johnson’s blog No Quarter, http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/79264/incompetence-ignorance-mike-morell/]

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30 comments for “‘Sage’ Advice That’s Nuttier Than Trump”

akech

August 16, 2016 at 11:49 am

Voters must be very afraid of the hidden think tanks, donors, and unelected US policy elites with dangerous agenda. These uncontrolled folks have poured tons of money into Hillary’s and/or Trump’s campaign(s) as well as MSM and they expect results once either of them becomes POTUS!

Mr. Michael Morell is not “a howling lone wolf “! He represents a section of American elites who believe in unfettered access and control of every resource on the planet. Any human who attempts to block that access must be eliminated by any means necessary.

The fact that no WMD was ever found in Iraq and the very fact that millions and millions innocent Iraqis citizens died or were displaced should have caused any “normal thinking” decision maker to hit the breaks! NO, not according to Mr. Morell and people he represents; they do not have the capability of doing that! WHY? Because according to these folks, they can send other families kids on a killing spree around the globe and the people targeted for slaughter have no rights to defend themselves!!

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMMANDEERED THE US POLICIES and why are voters so seduced to continue giving them the powers to finance the hit men/women whom they hide to give orders to pull the triggers?

Khalid Talaat

August 15, 2016 at 12:28 pm

What kind of trashey diplomacy is this? What and who is this psychopath? Is it that eazy for him to kill a “few”. DC is truly the Didtrict of Criminals.
Our country is infected by extreme evil.

Rob

August 12, 2016 at 4:18 pm

Clinton’s close relationships with the likes of Henry Kissinger and Madeline Albright are indeed troubling, not to mention Debbie Wasserman Schultz. But Trump has equally troubling friends and advisors. It’s true.

Bill Bodden

August 12, 2016 at 11:23 am

Morell – as well as all of these Neocon warmongers in our government!

It isn’t only these Neocon warmongers, but also the many people who support them from the plutocrats who make more money out of their wars, the bought and paid for oligarchs in the Republican and Democratic parties and their cohorts in Congress, and the American people who vote the latter into office. Then there are the many celebrities who extol the neocon warmongers’ choice for president leading ill-informed “citizens” to vote accordingly. Meryl Streep and George Clooney come readily to mind, but there are many – far too many – others.

jc21131

August 12, 2016 at 9:18 am

When I hear Morell’s comments my immediate reaction was exactly the same as your title to this article. He is crazy!! Then again when it comes to foreign policy apparently the inmates are running the asylum!!

Lux

August 12, 2016 at 2:53 am

“……Morell is an utter disgrace.” Yes! Thank you Larry!

Morell – as well as all of these Neocon warmongers in our government!

Many of us know that those of you in government practicing the policies of Morell do not care about this country and are trying to destroy this country and its people according to the NWO plan – which explains your actions and your evil against the good people of this country.

But here is what you are going to do….Morell and associates.

You are going to stop trying to foment war with Russia. You are going to stop calling Saudi Arabia and Turkey – that are totalitarian evil states – allies of the good Democratic people of this country.

You are going to stop your warmongering in the name of the people in this country. And those of you that have committed treason against this country by supporting a globalist NWO agenda and UN plans above our Constitution are going to resign from office or be removed from office by fate.

How do I know? Because if you do not – God is going to exact personal judgement against you very soon. And I am not talking about you being murdered or poisoned or anything else at the hand of mankind. I am talking about the wrath of God and the judgement of God that no man or woman on this planet can stop. Your life is short and the test called life is short. And you will be judged. The NWO is OVER. The time of evil is over – you will turn toward the light and the right or you will be destroyed. Thus sayeth the Lord.

The best thing you can do for yourselves is to ask God to show you the evil you have done and to make amends for your evil before it is too late.

This paragraph elevated my blood pressure into stroke region. I have taken some deep breaths and will try to address this stupidity in a calm, logical fashion.

I know exactly where Mr. Johnson is coming from, for I’ve been reading up on the piece of **** Michael Morell myself. The man is Obama’s boy. He and his good deeds are part of Obama’s “legacy”. A legacy Queen Hillary promises to continue.

As president, I will carry forward the Democratic record of achievement. I’ll defend President Obama’s accomplishments and build upon them.

Meaning when it’s time to smash Syria, she won’t back down at the last minute.

Abe

August 11, 2016 at 6:55 pm

From the “Doctor” (Kissinger) to the “General” (Hayden) to the big “Dick” (Cheney) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFoNBwoplMc — CIA pool boy Charlie Rose never passes on a chance to fellate a senior member of the Military-Industrial Complex.

Gary Hare

August 11, 2016 at 6:35 pm

Wouldn’t it be nice if the writers and commentators on this site got a similar amount of time on main stream media as the likes of Morell?

Minnesota Mary

August 11, 2016 at 6:26 pm

The Ancients had a saying that fits Mike Morell to a T. “When little men cast long shadows, it is the end of a civilization.”

Kozmo

August 11, 2016 at 5:51 pm

Sooner or later, the hubristic cheerleaders of the American hegemony — I can’t call it the “Pax Americana” because there’s been nothing at all peaceful about US policies in my lifetime — are going to pick a fight with someone who can actually hit back. When the US gets a bloody nose a la Vietnam, we might see some cooler heads and wiser counsel prevail. But until then, seems like nothing can stop the jingoism or militarist fantasies of Washington elites.

Bill Bodden

August 11, 2016 at 5:32 pm

Morell demonstrated in his actions to help Hillary Clinton lie about Benghazi that he would shade the truth and hide the facts in service of a politician whose ass he desperately wanted to kiss

Bob Altemeyer, in his very enlightening book “The Authoritarians,” described an unpleasant type of personality as one who would be obsequious in the presence of people considered to be of higher authority but authoritarian over people considered to be of little or no consequence. Washington and Wall Street are full of people like that so Morell probably felt himself in his natural environment.

Rikhard Ravindra Tanskanen

August 16, 2016 at 7:08 pm

The writer of this author is a liar. Hillary did not lie about Benghazi – it was propaganda by the American right. The U.S should never have gone into Libya, but he didn’t lie about Benghazi.

Abe

August 11, 2016 at 5:24 pm

“Morell’s plan to kill Russians and Iranians, has not deterred Moscow or Tehran. Unlike the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, predicated on a premeditated lie as clearly exposed by the recent UK government-published Iraq Inquiry, Russia and Iran are engaged in Syria at the behest of the Syrian government.

“Furthermore, their objective is not simply to project Russian and Iranian power beyond their borders, but to prevent the collapse of Syria into a NATO-induced Libya-style failed state that will serve as a staging ground for the spread of war back over their own borders. In other words, unlike the US’ intervention in Iraq seeking extraterritorial geopolitical gain, Russia and Iran’s intervention is based on very real and immediate existential concerns.

“Thus, Morell’s plan to kill Russians and Iranians was an ill-conceived attempt to convince both nations to capitulate to US designs in Syria today, so that an even greater loss of Russian and Iranian lives could be embarked upon by wider proxy war in the near future.

“In the process of organising this ill-conceived plan, the US has now further implicated itself as a state-sponsor of terrorism, further undermining its own pretext for intervention in Syria to allegedly ‘fight terrorism.’”

Regensordo, you have a great name. Is it a name we can translate into English?

I take serious issue with you when you write: “To claim Trump is much worse than Clinton is an MSM meme. She is just as belligerent and nasty as he is.”

Hillary is nasty, a pathological liar, prone to bouts of confusion, suffering brain injury from a concussion she had just before the Benghazi hearings (that’s why she wore those thick glasses) and, revealing her nasty disgusting self, cackling when she heard that Gadaffi was killed. Laughing she said, “We came, we saw, he died” ha ha ha ha ha ha.

She’s a nasty piece of work. So far we agree.

Here’s where we disagree: Trump is not nasty. He may decide to “poke you in the eye” with some rhetorical jab, much as many of us are willing to poke another person in the eye with a comment we expect will get a rise out of the other person, but that’s not nasty. If you are on the same level as Trump, it just becomes a witty back-and-forth. “Your dog ate…” “That’s nothing, your cat at….”

Hillary if elected would start World War III with Putin and we’d all be nuclearized toast. That’s much worse than nasty and very much on the bad ledger.

Trump would not do that. He’d likely fly over to Russia, join Putin at a State Dinner where everyone would east a lot of caviar and drink a lot of Vodka. Later they’d gently work out some trade agreements that would help us all. No missiles. No killings. No nuclear winter with no electricity, no supermarket food, no internet, no Iphone. Gosh, would life even be worth living if 90% of your life activity was on some silicon based electronic communicative devise?

Good question. Pray for Trump. Blast ideas over the internet to show everyone that Hillary is a liar with a disabled brain (confusion, seizures) who has a track record of causing war and death and who doesn’t care for those of us who don’t give BIG BUCKS to her campaign or to one of the multiple Clinton Foundations.

I agree that Trump’s TALK is better than Clinton’s, but that really means nothing. You can’t trust what he says.

A year ago, he disparaged hedge fund people, now his economic team is made up of billionaires and hedge fund dudes, including John Paulson who was at the center of the 2008 financial crash.

Trump’s met with Henry Kissinger and James Baker. Don’t be surprised if he turns on Russia.

Trump famously in a speech, “we don’t bomb enough”.

Rob

August 12, 2016 at 4:14 pm

No one knows what Trump would do as president, because he is a completely loose cannon on the deck of ship in the middle of a storm at sea. He appears to have no impulse control, and his only moral principle is to advance his own interests. As much as I dislike Clinton (and I really do dislike her,) I do not believe that the country and the world can take a chance of having a racist nutcase like Trump at the head of the United States government. The man is badly in need of therapy.

Larry Kellogg

August 11, 2016 at 7:27 pm

“The Hare Psychopathy Checklist,” “serves as a kind of triage device to separate the injured from the tripping from the psychopathic.”

The test awards points for 20 different personality traits. With a maximum score of 40, the test sets the threshold for clinical psychopathy at 30 points.

Mike Morell’s performance as CIA Director and his subsequent efforts to portray himself as a sage voice in the foreign policy arena borders on criminal negligence and utter incompetence.

Sounds like his role model might be Henry Kissinger.

David G

August 12, 2016 at 6:36 pm

He and his bunch today are worse than Kissinger, who was at least sane enough to know that provocations of the other nuclear superpower had to be modulated so as not to lead to the ultimate horror, and who was competent enough to understand that US hegemony required playing China and Russia/USSR off each other, not driving them into each other’s arms as the current US foreign “policy” establishment is doing.

Bill Bodden

August 11, 2016 at 12:56 pm

There was a time that I believed that a U.S. president would only appoint knowledgeable, capable people to serve at the head of an important … national … organization,

Indoctrinating children to believe that kind of meretricious nonsense is, tragically, standard operating procedure around the world and especially in the United States and the primary satraps in its empire. It takes a long time and a mountain of evidence to persuade some people to see through the lies of our “leaders” – some people go to their graves or come home in body bags without ever facing up to reality.

Joe Tedesky

August 11, 2016 at 12:53 pm

I had a hard time while watching Charlie Rose interview Mike Morell, because hearing Morell’s lies was excruciating to say the least. During his interviews I kept thinking of how all of you commenters on this site might react. If Rose would have an audience I would only hope that it would be filled with the likes of you all on this site. I mean somehow there needs to be an equalizer to put people like Morell in their place.

Go here and listen for yourself….there are plenty of Mike Morell interviews to give you cause to get active against what he is suggesting we do with our foreign policy.